TOGAF 9.1 Certification Process

TOGAF is a certification provided by The Open Group. It is an open enterprise architecture standard used to improve business efficiency, across world’s leading organizations. Aspirants eyeing a successful career in enterprise architecture must seek TOGAF certification to demonstrate their knowledge of architecture.

Accreditation Body

TOGAF was initiated in the early 1990s as a methodology to develop the technical architecture and then developed by The Open Group into an extensive architecture framework. The first version of TOGAF was presented in 1995.

The TOGAF 9 certification is available in two levels, namely Foundation (Part 1) and Certified (Part 2). However, there are different learning paths that are defined by the Open Group to obtain these certifications.

Earlier the Open Group would conduct an examination called the TOGAF 8-9 Advanced Bridge which was sort of a bridging examination for TOGAF 8 certified professionals. By taking this exam, they could upgrade their certification to TOGAF 9. However, this TOGAF 8-9 Advanced Bridge examination was withdrawn on 31 December 2013. Thus, candidates who are TOGAF 8 certified need to either take up a stepwise (Part 1 then Part 2) examination or take the Combined TOGAF Part 1 and Part 2 examination.

Eligibility Criteria

For TOGAF Foundation exam, there is no eligibility criterion. All aspiring candidates are eligible and can take up the examination.

For TOGAF Certified exam, candidate must be certified in TOGAF Foundation or must have a pass score for the TOGAF Foundation exam from the same ATTC provider that they are taking the Part 2 examination.

Enrollment Options for Taking up the Examination

The first step in the certification process is to choose the level you need to take up, either Foundation or Certified. Then, the method of study i.e. attending a training course or self-study for taking up the examination is to be decided.

While choosing to attend a training course, candidates must enroll themselves in an accredited training institute. On the Open Group website, under the Accreditation Register section [http://certification.opengroup.org/togaf-atc-register], one can find a list of all the TOGAF 9 Accredited TOGAF Training Courses from various institutes. Currently, 51 organizations are registered with the certification body.

All the accredited training course providers include the course examination fee as a part of their training or provide a voucher to attend a public Prometric test center. Few accredited trainers are permitted to distribute official TOGAF course materials.

For candidates who wish to take up self-study, you first need to register to take the exam with Prometric centers. Online registration with Prometric is available on their website http://www.prometric.com/OpenGroup.

While registering, it is important to mention the valid email address and name (check spelling). These credentials will be used by the Open Group to contact candidates to provide information on how to complete certification after taking up the examination.

Exam Preparation

As mentioned earlier, candidates can either prepare all by themselves or can attend training at an accredited institute.

Candidates who have registered with the Prometric centers and are looking to prepare all by themselves, can benefit from the study material available on the Open Group website. It is available for online reading at http://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf9-doc/arch/ and also in the Open Group Bookstore.

However, most candidates prefer enrolling in a training course with accredited institutes like Simplilearn. Apart from rendering training, these institutes also include in their course material, examination fee either on site or a voucher will be given to attend a Prometric test center.

Examination Structure

The TOGAF certification is achieved only after passing the respective examinations.

Re-taking Examination

If the candidates fail to clear any of the above examinations, they will need to take a re-test after one month of their previous attempt. So, if the candidate fails in the part 1 examination, he will have to wait for a month before taking the re-exam. If any examination is taken before a month, the result will be considered to be void.

Completing Certification Process

Once the candidate has appeared for the examination, his result is sent from the Prometric center to the Open Group. An email is received from the Open Group (typically within 6 days) which specifies the information on logging in to the web certification system at the Open Group to complete the certification.

If the email is not received, candidates can drop an email to togaf-cert-admin(at)opengroup(dot)org.Once the entire certification process is completed, candidates can give permission to show their details in the Certification register, available at the Open Group website. TOGAF certification is valid for lifetime and doesn’t need any renewal.